


I don't Want Him Near You

by Lakeylou



Category: The Blacklist (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-26
Updated: 2015-04-26
Packaged: 2018-03-25 20:38:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3824329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lakeylou/pseuds/Lakeylou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Small fragments starting from the 2.08 and finishing in the future. A dash of Tom, but mostly Lizzie and Red.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I don't Want Him Near You

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own the song used. It is called 'This' by Ed Sheeran. I do not own The Blacklist, or any of the characters mentioned in this story. A few lines from the show have been used.

This is the start of something beautiful  
This is the start of something new  
You are the one who'd make me lose it all  
You are the start of something new, ooh

 

“There's nothing wrong with you.”

She didn't relax from his touch immediately. The exhaustion of the day's events were still reeling in her mind. She was emotionally drained. Tense. Tom was gone. Tom had killed a man. She let Tom go. When Red step closer to her though, a sudden, overwhelming need for comfort split through her. Her heart hurt. Her heart was breaking, or already broken she wasn't entirely sure. 

The harbour master. 

Tom.

So she allowed, and silently welcomed, Red to wrap her small frame up in all of his warmth. His body layered in expensive clothing. The longer he held her close, the more her muscles began to sag, the more her body began to let go. She finally went limp. So much so, that if Red wasn't holding her upright and against him, she'd be a mess on the filthy floor. Then, out of know where, his lips were in her hair, his nose nuzzling the side of her head. At the time she thought nothing of their closeness. Nothing of the intimacy his gentle kisses held. All she could do was sniff and let her eyes leak tears onto his dark, navy jacket. Red hushed her softly, cooed at her. Reassured her over and over again that there was absolutely nothing wrong with her. 

“There is,” She whispered against his shoulder, her eye squeezing tightly shut. “There is.”

“No, Lizzie.” His lips, for the first time, touched her pale skin, just below the hairline of her forehead. "There isn't."

At that moment, Lizzie could truthfully say, that no one had ever made her feel so safe and so warm when she was so sad.

 

And I'll throw it all away  
And watch you fall into my arms again  
And I'll throw it all away  
Watch you fall, now

 

“What are you doing, Lizzie?” 

As soon as he entered her motel room she could tell he was trying hard not to scold her. His left eye twitching. His jaw clenching. The disappointment was coming off him like steam. She knew he was going to lecture her soon. She sighed, the tips of her fingers pressing into her temples. She had such a headache. 

“He got into contact with me,” She defended herself. As if it was a valid excuse for her to let Tom into her room. Tom let himself into her room, she reminded herself, though it didn't make her feel any better.

Red seemed annoyed by her answer. His green eyes flickering around her small, minimal hotel room looking for signs of Tom Keen and his presence. The man was no good for her, Red just wanted her to see that. Needed her to see how great she was without him. His gaze stopped on the unmade bed. The sheets were a tangled mess, the pillows crisscrossed halfway down the bed.

“How long was he here?”

Was that suspicion in his voice? Lizzie wondered. His tone was slow and judging and she followed his gaze to her messy bed.

“What? You think-” She swallowed, almost spluttered at what he was insinuating. Heat creeped up on her cheeks at the thought, and she shook her head in disbelief. The cheek of him!

Red visibly relaxed at her horrified reaction. It was quick, but she noticed his shoulders drop, the finger tapping on his right thigh pause. He didn't however, have the decency to apologize for jumping to such conclusions. How low does he think she thought of herself? To run back into Tom's arms after everything that had happened between them? After everything Tom had done.

“What did he want?”

“Passports.” She answered, still slightly offended. She wanted to tell him to get out of her motel room. Leave her in depressing, lonely peace. Right now, she wanted to tell everyone to just get out. Of her life. 

“Did you give them to him?”

“No.”

“Lizzie, I can't stress enough how vital it is that you stay away from him.”

“He. Came. Here.” She snapped angrily. “I didn't ring and call him over here to have a fucking sleep over!”

“Lizzie-”

“No! No.” She started to pace. “ I can't believe you would even think that I would- that I would get back together with him after everything he has done!”

“Lizzie-” Red took a careful step toward her. “I didn't mean to upset you. I just...I don't trust him, Lizzie. I don't want him anywhere near you.”

Lizzie breathed deeply, calming herself before she lashed out at him again. Red could obviously sense what she was doing, controlling herself, as he reached a hand and brushed it down her bare arm. 

She relented at his touch. Didn't have it in her to flinch and scream at him.

“I know and neither do I,” She replied weakly. “But I can handle myself.”

 

You are the earth that I will stand upon  
You are the words that I will sing

“You saved a man you hate to save me.”

Yes, Red wanted to reply.

I would save any man in the world to save you, Lizzie. 

Even Tom Keen.

Instead, he looked at her, his mind screaming yes, telling her how much he cared for her. How far he would truly go to protect her. 

And then he walked away, and all she was given was silence.

And I've thrown it all away  
And watched you fall into his arms again  
And I've thrown it all away  
Watched you fall, now.

 

He was the one who hired Tom. She shook, she shook with shock mostly. Red, who she had let comfort her, who she trusted, saved. He had been the one to put Tom Keen in her life.

Red had ruined her life. Even before she had met him.

She shoved the fulcrum on the bonnet of his car. Take it! She screamed. This would be the last she saw of him.

But then he got shot.

And then Tom had helped save Red. He did it for her, he said. Not for Red. 

And now, weeks later, Lizzie wrung her hands together as she sat on the cold park bench. Even through her jeans the concrete chilled her thighs. She was meeting Tom again. Just for information about Red, her past. She kept reminding herself of that. 

Her relationship with Red since he had been shot was...on uneven, miserable ground. 

And yet, she couldn't stop thinking of him. Weird sort of thoughts here and there. Like her mind telling her she still cared for him, wondering how his recovery was going, things about his secret flat. How many secrets did he really have? Why did he have to be so dam complicated?

And to make matters worse, Tom wanted more. A chance at a normal life he told her. A normal relationship. He wanted to become someone she could trust, love. He wanted to change. And then he hugged her two days ago in the pouring rain after a big, bold declaration on his part. She had gripped onto him like she felt something. Like she believed him. 

But what she didn't tell Tom, when she hugged his slender frame, what she could barely tell herself was that she enjoyed Red's hugs better.

She didn't know what to do.

Tom wanted to try again? But she wanted to be hugged by Reddington?

“Fancy seeing you here.”

Lizzie turned to see none other than Red sitting down next to her on the bench. 

“What are you doing?” She asked. She hadn't seen him in almost a week, and that was only work related. A quick in-and-out meeting on his behalf. All business all serious.

“I could ask you the same question.” 

She licked her lips, casually glancing over her shoulder. She hoped Tom could see Red when he arrived, and had the brains to not come over.

“And I ask again, Lizzie. What are you doing?”

“Nothing.”

“You're meeting with Tom.”

Then why did he bother asking? Of course he had known. Like she could get anything past the infuriating man. Really, she was surprised he hadn't come earlier. She had met with Tom frequently over the past couple of weeks, and Red said nothing. He could very well have been lurking in the shadows watching them though. She wouldn't put it past him.

“And what's it to you?” She replied a little childishly, hoping she could cover up her guilt with anger.

Why was she guilty anyway? It was her choice to meet with Tom. She was a grown woman for god sakes and she would NOT let Red scold her again.

Red remained silent, watching her intensly for several seconds.

“I don't want you near him.” 

“Funny, considering you were the one-”

“He will hurt you, Lizzie.”

“And you won't?” She snapped back.

Red was too busy looking over her shoulder, to react to her answer. Lizzie turned to see what had his attention only to see Tom sauntering toward them. Her eyes widened slightly, what was he doing? Coming over when Red was here? She turned back to Red, to gauge his reaction, but he was up from the seat and striding away. 

“Hey Liz.”

And take me back  
Take me home  
Watch me fall  
Down to earth  
Take me back for

 

“I don't understand, Liz.”

Lizzie sighed, a frown set on her pale face. “I can't- I won't do this anymore.”

“I thought you wanted answers,” Tom challenged.

“Yes. Yes, I do, but not like this. Not from you.”

“So what? That's it? We're over?”

Lizzie clenched her fist. “We were over the day I found out you were a fraud. That our marriage was a lie. That's when we were over, Tom.”

“You said there were things that couldn't be faked,” Tom argued. “I did fall in love with you, Liz. It wasn't all fake. I love you, I do. I love you right now.”

Lizzie smiled weakly, shaking her head. “Tom.”

“Do you love me?”

She didn't hesitate to answer, the reply slipping from her mouth so casually. It felt good to move on. “Not anymore. And we're-we're too damaged for me to ever feel the same again...It wouldn't work, Tom. I think you know that to."

Tom seethed. “So you get the answers and leave. Just lead me on a bit..make me think this could actually work between us.”

“I didn't make any suggestions. You know that. I'm sorry if you thought-”

“No, you're not.” Tom talk a step back from her. “So this is it? Really?”

Lizzie nodded. She felt sorry for him to a degree. He did want to change, and if her profiling skills weren't failing her a second time, she believed him. She could see it. And she wanted him to change. Not for her, not for love, but for himself.

“This is goodbye.”

Tom ran a hand through his short hair. “It's Reddington isn't it? He's gotten to you.”

“Start a new life, Tom. You've got a second chance, here. You could do anything.” 

Tom stuffed his hands into his pockets, leaning back on his heels. He blew out a breath, his head shaking, not quite believing this was it. “You really think so? You think I can change without you?”

“Yes.” Liz smiled. “I know you can. I'm, you know...you know i'm sorry for everything that's happened between us.”

“You don't have to apologise...” Tom shook his head. “Don't even think about apologising, Liz. I know what I did to you.”

 

This is the start of something beautiful  
You are the start of something new

 

“Lizzie? Everything okay?”

Lizzie smiled, her phone agaist her ear as Red's voice greeted her.

“Yeah.”

“You sure?”

“Yes. What are you doing?”

“Flying over DC.”

“What?” She sat up abruptly in bed. “Where are you going?”

“Going? No. I've already been. We are due to land in a few minutes.”

“You've been away? For how long?”

“A week. ”

“Oh.” She hadn't even known he had been away. She hadn't talked to him since he left her on the park bench.

“Lizzie? You're not hurt are you? Has he done something? Are you in trouble?”

“Tom's gone.” She told him, lying back down and curling her body around the spare pillow. “And no, i'm not hurt, but um, I was wondering if you wanted to meet tonight? If you're not too tired.”

“Where?”

“Your place? Or you can come here?”

“I'll come to you, Lizzie. I will be there within the hour.”


End file.
